Wormifieds
by Isebas
Summary: My little collection of Worm Stories that may or may not become full stories in time.
1. Android-1

Disclaimer- I don't own Worm. Nor am I making any profit from this story.

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Summary: A man triggers and is turned into an Android.

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Alexander's first memory was of awakening inside of a computer with no body or senses. Actually, that wasn't completely true. He could sense the machines all around him, like little tones in the background. Alexander somehow _knew_ he could control them, change them. The knowledge of why came to him from the internet. The history of this world. The appearance of Scion and the Parahumans. Real life Superheros and Villains come to life. It was like something out of a comic book. He, Alexander Lucius Myers, had Triggered. He was now a Parahuman on another Earth. He had triggered with the powers of Technopathy and Cyberpathy.

Focusing his attention outwards through several cameras Alexander saw a high tech lab he did not recognize and the body of an Asian man who had bled out on the floor. After panicking, which was weird as he no longer had any biological hormones that caused panic, Alexander started communing with the lab's computers. The lab was actually part of a fallout shelter built by Robert Tao, a Tinker with amoral/villainous leanings who liked to be called Dupot. Dupot had been kidnapping people in order to transform them into powerful android servants completely loyal to him. Tao had discovered Alexander's sudden appearance on this Earth, something that wasn't of his doing, and had snatched him before anyone else could.

Unfortunately for Tao Alexander had killed him when he had Triggered right after his consciousness had been transferred into the computer for storage until he could be transferred to the new android body. Alexander had also been his first "success". Alexander would have scowled if he was physically able. He still did it mentally.

Alexander knew that his intelligence had gone up. Things just seemed to click with him and he could recall perfectly his entire life. Though the fragmented memories of being awake inside of his mother's womb he deleted, as well as his memories of breast feeding and pretty much the majority of his first year of life. Also the time he walked in on his parent's having sex. There were just some things people shouldn't remember.

Going through Tao's files Alexander had discovered that there was no way to transfer his being back into his real body now that it was dead. Tao's tech didn't allow for it. He had gone through all of Tao's tech hundreds of times in less than a minute. Alexander growled in frustration. While his body had been nothing special, it was _his_ , and human. He was a freak now, machine. Hell he was more of a machine than Darth Vader had ever been!

To burn off some of his anger Alexander had gone to war on several criminal organizations across the globe. Quickly outing them and turning the information he found the authorities. He also went after dozens of pedophiles who had thought they had cleverly hidden their child porn. His actions would lead to the arrest of close to two hundred pedophiles of both sexes.

Even still Alexander wanted a body. He mentally scowled at the thought of transferring into the inferior android body Tao had created. Already Alexander's mind was thinking of how to build a better, more advanced one. Growling Alexander initiated the integration process. Darkness took him before he "felt" himself moving, being transferred into his new body.

Forcing the restraints to release him Alexander took his first steps in his newest body.

He stared off into space, focusing intensely on his body. It felt very weird, his senses muted, muffled, parts of them missing. His sense of sight was better than it had ever been but his sense of touch hardly registered and he had absolutely no sense of taste or smell. Ugh!

His hands and arms are made of black metal. Ripping off the hospital gown covering him Alexander gaped slightly as his entire body appeared to be made of the same black metal. Wiggling his fingers Alexander saw the metal fingers reacting as if they were his own. He curled his hands into fists several times and kind of flapped his feet as he had no individual toes.

Looking around him Alexander groaned as he saw his body laying on a table with some machine hooked onto it. Alexander wondered over to it, stumbling slightly. Hesitantly he reached out and poked his body. It did not respond.

"Why!" Alexander roared in a voice not his own before he started smashing things around him in his rage.

* * *

 _Two Weeks Later_

Alexander sat communing with he lab's computers. He had started getting used to his new circumstances and even slightly started warming up to it. Being able to control technology and software with his thoughts was very cool he admitted. He could also, begrudgingly, admit that his new body wasn't all bad.

His new body was a lot stronger and faster than his old one. With testing Alexander found he could lift over a ton and run at a constant speed of seventy miles an hour without tiring. Hell he didn't even need to sleep anymore and it had no adverse effects that he or the computer noticed. His body also healed which seemed kind of odd since he wasn't organic but Alexander was glad. He would hate for his body to break down and not be able to repair it before he had his new one built. He still wasn't happy that he couldn't eat or drink anymore. He might not have the urge or the need anymore but Alexander loved food.

His mind was weird now. It looked similar to a human brain but was actually silver in color. It seemed almost infinite in it's capacity to store information. It would also never decay so he would never forget anything unless he decided to.

His sense of sight was a hell of a lot better now than when he was human. Before he had to wear glasses now he could see perfectly. Hell, his eyes were better than good. With some experimentation he now had perfect night-vision and infrared. Which were all pretty much really fucking weird and took some getting used to. He had taken to practicing from time to time to try and get used to it. Hell he could even scan objects with his mind and take pictures and video of anything he was seeing. He had tracked down his powers, Cyberpathy and Free Tinker.

Alexander already had plans to build himself a bigger, better body with many improvements. Thankfully he was both a genius now, and a Tinker. He had access to any education he desired and access to a multi-million dollar bank account courtesy of the dead Mr. Tao. Alexander would have smirked if he could have. He had always wanted to be rich and since Tao had never actually visited the bank they couldn't tell Alexander wasn't him.

Alexander had also spent this time to place him in the system as a real person, establishing an identity as the PRT and other Federal Programs knew how to do. A birth certificate, social security number, school and doctor records. All had been created and inserted in different systems. He even opened a bank account with a few grand inside with various past "transactions". Library books checked out and back in, magazines ordered and cancelled, videos checked out at the video store and returned, and an account a pet supply shop.

* * *

 _-Three Months Later-_

It was now time. Alexander's new body was just about ready for him to transfer himself over into it. It had taken time but Alexander had managed to fit many of the extras he wanted inside of it. Alexander stared at his new body, strangely nervous and excited.

His new body stood, or at least would if it were upright, at six feet, seven inches tall and appeared perfectly human in appearance. It had Alexander's slightly tanned skin, his features which he had enhanced to make himself more handsome and his black hair nice and thick. His own had been thinning quite a bit on top. Call him vain if you wanted but this was a body he could design for himself.

His new body was quite a bit more muscular and more defined than his had ever been. It had no body hair except on his chest, arms and legs. Alexander had even given in and added some length and girth to his, _*ahem*_ , equipment. He had by no means been small before but there was always room for improvement. Of course his teeth were white and perfect and made from a special composite that was unbreakable and wound never stain. Alexander's new body was a huge improvement over his old one. Even far superior to his android body given to him by Tao.

While designing his body Alexander had created an entirely new branch of prosthetics. Synthetic skin that could repair itself, synthetic scent receptors, synthetic musculature, synthetic taste buds, synthetic ear drums, synthetic nerves and a synthetic voice box. All of this meant Alexander could now smell, taste, feel, hear, speak in his own voice and hear even better than he could when he was human. Alexander had even designed organs that he himself did not need. If it was an organ in the body could be replaced he had created an alternative and not just human organs but animals too.

With his inventions Alexander could potentially provide sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the mute, mobility to paraplegics and organs that would never be rejected. With his prosthetics they could walk normally, and even use their arms as if they were the real deal. His Synthetic Skin was a real masterpiece in Alexander's opinion. It could tan, felt like real skin, acted like real skin, creased and even possessed small imperfections that would prevent others for telling it was fake.

To everyone else, and even advanced sensors, Alexander's new body would not appear to anything else than entirely human. Alexander's skin could tan, he could blush, perspire, produce saliva, age if he desired and even ejaculate(even if it was sterile). Hell he even had 'blood' and a pulse and his eyes even dilated correctly. Alexander could even appear to breath and his body would make any of the odd noises a normal human body made that normally went unnoticed. It was capable of a full range of body motions and emoting like moving eye brows, wrinkling his nose, frowning or even smiling. Something he had missed with his first android body. This body would never break down nor would his muscles ever atrophy.

Alexander's arms, he would admit, were pretty fucking awesome. Like Cyborg from the Teen Titans they could morph and change. Unlike cyborg though, both of his arms could do so. Alexander had the option of a laser blaster, regular gun(with a wide ranges of ammo provided by inbuilt nano-fabricators), Gatling gun, Gatling laser, plasma projector, sonic cannon, extendable bladed fingers,clawed fingers, plasma cutters and welders.

He had also added four new vision modes to his body: darkvision, thermal, telescopic and microscopic vision. Along with the ability to fire high powered lasers from his eyes. He had increased his strength allowing him to lift upwards of ten tons and a running speed of three hundred miles per hour. His reflexes were even faster and his senses highly acute. His sense of touch was just as sensitive as a human and he had an actual sense of smell and taste now.

Built inside of his body were a wide range of awesome gadgets, if he did say so himself, and he did. Many would likely call bullshit on them but Alexander would enjoy rubbing their faces in his truth. One thing that hadn't changed was his lack of patience with idiots and a majority of other people. He also hated being called a liar because he hardly ever lied and if he did he was never caught.

Inside his new body were Flight Inducers which allowed him to levitate, glide and fly at great speed. A Transmutation Module which allowed him to transmute non-biological and dead biological components, Kinetic Dampeners giving his body invulnerability and making him bulletproof. Kinetic Amplifiers had been installed in his body which boosted his already inhuman strength and speed by a factor of three. His Telekinetic Modules would allow him to levitate objects and even throw them.

His Elemental Manipulators were something Alexander was especially proud of. With them he access to the abilities of Aerokinesis, Electrokinesis, Hydrokinesis, Cryokinesis, Thermokinesis, Pyrokinesis, Photokinesis, Plásma Aímatoskinesis, and Geokinesis. His nigh-infinite energy source powered his body and weapons and even allowed him to fire beams of intense energy from his eyes. Sue him, Superman was one of his favorite heroes even if he wasn't real.

By far one of his greatest projects was the Shapeshifting module that allowed him to change his shape, appearance, voice and even sex if he wanted to. He even invented modules that allowed him to turn invisible and intangible at will. Martian Manhunter had been another favorite of his. His Bio-Matter to Energy Converter allowed him to turn any solid and liquids he consumed to energy. He would never have to worry about growing fat again, if that were even possible in this body.

Giving himself a shake Alexander refocused his attention.

Hooking up Tao's improved devices to himself with the aid of his servants Alexander braced himself before commanding them to begin his transfer. Consciousness came to him and tears flowed down Alexander's face as his dulled emotions returned to normal. He wept at the sorrow and pain that flowed through him. The horror of having his body violated and changed without his permission. He marveled at the return of his senses.

You could never understand what it was like to not be able to hear and smell as well as you could. It was as if he had been trapped alone with no stimulus. With their return he realized the torture it was to not have them. Running his hands over his body he marveled at his ability to just _feel_ things. Even if his tolerance for extremes was very high now he could still feel cold and heat enough to know that it was cold or hot.

* * *

While he wasn't working on his inventions and his new body Alexander had turned his attention the bunker/fallout shelter he now owned. It had it's own generators that ran on water, it's own water refinery/reclaimer and a CO2 to O2 converter along with several several other air filtration systems. It had several green houses, high tech labs, manufacturing rooms, several store rooms, a large kitchen, a large infirmary, locker rooms and a large swimming pool with a hot tub and sauna. The giant refrigerators and freezers had special Tinker tech that locked the food in a perfect suspended animation so it would stay fresh potentially for centuries. The lights were special as well as they let out wave lengths that boosted the health of the occupants like artificial sunlight since they couldn't get **real** sunlight underground.

Alexander had improved the fallout shelter as well. He had created his own robotic servants to help him expand the shelter. It was now capable of comfortably housing twenty people. Alexander updated the wiring inside and made the generators smaller but more powerful, efficient and completely wireless. The water purifiers and water reclaimers were also updated, making them smaller and more efficient. Several water collectors of his own design had been deployed topside disguised as rocks and other detritus. He had added a library, a theater, a large sitting room, a large dining room and a game room. If he was going to be living there he wanted the best he could go for.

Alexander was currently lounging in his sitting room and consuming a bunch of junk food while watching television. He was moaning as he ate. Everything tasted _so_ good after not having taste buds in his other body. Alexander had always loved food and had considered himself an amateur chef. This had led him to being a little chunky as he didn't really like exercising, much to the consternation of his doctors. In this new body, as cliché as I might have been to say, he was feeling more human than ever.


	2. Power Copier 1- OC

Disclaimer- I don't own Worm. Nor am I making any profit from this story.

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Summary: An OC wakes up in the world of Brockton Bay with the power of copying variations of other powers

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The last thing James Antony Parici remembered was a loud bang followed by heat, pain and disorientation as he was flung violently away from where he was. Several members of his unit were screaming, the sounds of gunfire.

"James! James!" He hears his best friend Michael Burke screaming as he turned James over.

"Ow." James groaned. He feels like screaming but he doesn't. He does his best to focus on what Mich is saying.

" – going to be – James. Medic! Medic!" Mich screamed. "Hold – James. God – hold on, please hold on"

Suddenly he is in another place. White all around and he is kind of floating. The total absence of pain makes him feel a little high. He giggles as he floats around.

" _ **We did not bring you here for you to see you act with stupidity James Antony Parici."**_ A deep voice reverberated around the room and James fell abruptly to the floor.

"Ow." James said before forcing himself to stand up. "Am I dead? Is this Limbo, Heaven or something?"

" _ **You died but this is not Heaven or the Afterlife."**_ Another voice said amused. " _ **We gathered your soul before you passed on from the explosion caused by The Bomber. We grabbed you so you could take part in an experiment we are conducting."**_

"An experiment?"

* * *

James woke up in a hospital bed. For a hospital bed it was surprisingly comfortable. The ache in his body hit him almost immediately after that observation causing him to groan. He felt like someone had worked him over pretty good in a fight. Wincing James grabbed the nearby remote and pressed down on button causing his bed to to incline, allowing James to see the room he was in properly. The room wasn't really anything special to look at, cream colored walls and white tiled floors. It looked like any other hospital room he had ever been in. Reaching for a nearby pitcher he poured himself a glass of water. He quickly polished it off along with a refill with a sigh. Searching around his bed he quickly found the button he wanted and turned on the television. James flipped through the channels before it was tuned to the news.

" _...has been tracked to near the coast of Scandinavia while no sightings have been made of Behemoth."_ The female anchor said. " _As always we will try to keep track of the Endbringers..."_

"Shit." James cursed to himself softly after muting the TV. He pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes and kneaded them. "I really am in Worm. So those guys weren't a dream."

James collapsed back into his pillow with a sigh before running a hand through his hair.

James had agreed to participate in the experiment offered by the so-called Supreme Beings. They had even allowed him to choose his own power. Instead of a really powerful power or group of powers James had chosen a low-level beginner Trump power of Power Copier. It had the potential to be quite versatile and make him very powerful in time. To copy a power or powers James had to be within a one block radius of a Parahuman to receive powers from them. The catch was James wouldn't receive the Parahumans' actual power but a variation of it. Some Parahumans might also offer more than one but never more than three. The biggest catch was James could only have fifteen powers at a time. James could also decide not to accept a power and could discard any he had if he wanted to.

However James had an idea on how to effect that in a way that would allow him to gain a lot more than fifteen powers at once. Sure if it worked it might be cheating but hey, he wouldn't be breaking any rules, just bending them. James couldn't wait to try it out. In exchange for choosing to have no power but the ability to copy others when he first arrived in Worm James was able to decide to take over the life of his counterpart on this world. To further sweeten the deal James was guaranteed a home that was completely his and a decent amount of money in the bank.

A knock on his door had him looking up. Standing in the doorway was a middle aged woman with greying brown hair and blue eyes partially obscured behind a pair of silver framed glasses.

"Good morning Mr. Parici." The nurse said. "I'm Nurse Orland. Call me Susan please."

"Morning." James told her. "Feel free to call me Tony."

The nurse smiled.

"How are you feeling Tony?" She asked. "Any sharp pains or unusual sensations?"

"Not too bad but it feels like someone worked me over pretty good." James told her with a wince.

"Doctor Scolfield will be in to check on you in a little bit but first what would you like for breakfast Tony?" Susan asked.

James chose a breakfast platter which consisted of scrambled eggs, three slices of bacon, two small pancakes and a glass of orange juice. The nurse returned with his meal quite quickly and James was surprised that the food was actually quite good. It wasn't quite up to his standard of cooking but it wasn't anything to sneer at. He had certainly eaten worst food in the hospital.

It was about twenty minutes after he had eaten that a Doctor walked into the room. He was middle aged blond haired man with a receding hairline and laugh lines around his blue eyes. James could tell that man was friendly and outgoing.

"Hello Mr. Parici. I'm Doctor Wyatt Scolfield." The man said introducing himself with a smile that actually reached his eyes. He wasn't some burnout who worked far too many hours. He was a Doctor who genuinely enjoyed his work.

"Hey Doc." James said, shaking his hand. "What am I doing in here?"

"You were in a car accident yesterday. You received a mild concussion, some bruising and had a long cut in your side. We stitched you up and decided to keep you over night." Dr. Shelton informed him, while shining a little light in his eyes. "How are you feeling?"

* * *

James felt something that immediately grabbed his attention like nothing ever had before. It was like something he really wanted. Something inside of him, he guessed his Power, stretched out as if it reaching for something and touched it. It was a Parahuman, Pancea to be exact. James sensed that he could absorb two powers from her. His brows rose as he discovered what they were.

The powers were **Self-Biokinesis** and **Organic Tinker**.

James accepted them both and felt his power pull two bits of energy from Pancea before it was rapidly sucked back into his body. James inhaled sharply as they seemed to slot into place and started offering him ideas on how to use them. How to improve his body to make himself stronger, faster, better and how to make things that could improve others.

James figured he would sign up with the Protectorate after he acquired a few more powers or perhaps the Affiliate Program like New Wave had done. James already had a list in his head from least to most dangerous to obtain. Hell, he didn't even know what powers he would obtain before his power touched theirs. He would also have to watch out for any inconsistencies.

* * *

"Thanks." James told the cabby as he handed him his money for dropping him off at his house.

"No problem sir." The cabby said. "Be sure to contact in the future if you need a ride anywhere within the city or a twenty-five mile radius around it."

Turning around James' brows rose as he took in his counterpart's, now his, house. It was a big two story brick home in what looked to be a medium-income neighborhood. It appeared to have a decent sized yard with an attached garage. Walking inside James stepped into a small entryway. On one side was the living room through which he could see the kitchen and on the other was a dining room. The living room was fully furnished with comfortable looking furniture that James quite liked the look of. There was a large framed section on the wall that with a press of a remote retracted to reveal a hidden cubby containing a large flat screen television. There was two bedrooms on the bottom floor and what was clearly an office.

Stepping into the kitchen James' grinned appreciatively. The kitchen was quite large which James liked. When he wanted to cook he wanted to have room to move. It of course had a large dishwasher as it seemed even his counterpart had hated doing the dishes. A large island with several bar stools stood in the middle of the room.

Their was a large gas stove with a stainless steel hood. He had not one, but two ovens. Feeling along the cabinets he found a stand up freezer and refrigerator cleverly disguised by wooden paneling making them look like part of the cabinets. Off the kitchen was small eating area with two sliding glass doors leading to the backyard.

The backyard was partially covered by a nice wooden deck with a built-in grill and cooking stations and there was an inground pool outside along with a hot tub. It had a large, finished basement with a couple of storage rooms and a media room containing a huge theater screen with a great sound system. The second story contained the three bedrooms including the Master Bedroom with a Master suite and another bathroom. house had five bedrooms, three bathrooms including a Master Suite with a balcony off the Master Bedroom.

* * *

From what James remembered the Dallons and the Pellams lived close to one another. He would go by their place and would scout out the powers he could absorb. Checking in the phone book netted him their address. When doing further research online James' luck took a turn for the better when he found a bus stop just down their street. Walking over to it he sat down and pulled out his phone and started playing a game. While he was partially focused on that he stretched out with his Power.

In the Dallon House James could sense two Parahumans. From Flash Bang, aka Mark Dallon, James sensed he could absorb the skill of **Explosive Energy Constructs**. James nibbled on his lip but decided against it. He could always come back for it later. As he was rubbing up against the other one, James mentally reminded himself to pick some other way to describe it later. He didn't need to say his power was rubbing up against the powers of others, especially underage Parahumans. The second one around was Glory Girl. From her James could acquire the abilities of **Enhanced Superhuman Strength** and **Flight**. James decided to take both. James gasped as he felt his strength increase and the urge to lift off but he restrained himself.

"Damn it!" He allowed himself to curse as he lost the level on the game he was playing. Making a frustrated face he clicked his tongue before starting over.

Turning his attention the house next door he sensed Lady Photon, aka Sarah Pelham. The power he could copy from her was **Energy Production/Projection**. James' eyes widened.

 _Jackpot!_ He thought excitedly.

James would need, well he would like, a ranged power. He felt it was best to have a power for every range. Energy Projection was a good one. James accepted it. James brows furrowed as he grabbed his stomach, warmth was filling his body as some kind of reservoir was filling up inside of him. James felt energy fill his body causing his knee to start jumping up and down and him to start fidgeting. James grimaced as he tried to get used to the energy running through his body. It took him about ten minutes but he finally started growing used to energy.

From Manpower, aka Neil Pelham James sensed the power of **Electrokinesis**. James' mouth widened in a wicked grin as he thought of throwing out lightning like the Emperor and Zeus. James quickly accepted it as well. He twitched as electricity ran through his body. The only outward sign was some sparks around his fingers and through his eyes. James inhaled deeply as the energy inside of him seemed to double or triple.

Deciding that he had been in the same spot for more than enough times James quickly accepted an ability from both of the Pelham children. From Laserdream, aka Crystal Pelham he received **Energy Beams**. He sensed they had four different effects. Explosive, Cutting, Burning and Disintegration. From Shielder, aka Eric Pelham he received **Forcefields**.

The rest of the time waiting for the bus James spent playing Tetris on his smartphone.


	3. Umbra 1

Disclaimer- I don't own Worm. Nor am I making any profit from this story.

* * *

 **Umbra- Part 1**

Taylor Hebert had always been the apple of Charles 'Charlie' Hebert's eyes, as she was his only granddaughter and lived the closest to him. Her grandfather was a veteran of the Korean War and had a fifteen year career in the Navy. After retiring from the Navy Charlie had moved his family to Brockton Bay, his hometown and found a job as a police officer, rising to the job of Police Chief.

Charles had married his sweetheart Eleanor Needles in 1954 in Boston. Four years later they welcomed their first son, David Charles Hebert on December 11th 1958, three years later came Diana Michelle Hebert on August 3rd, 1961. After her came James Carlon Hebert on April 11th, 1963 then Michael Thomas Hebert on October 6th, 1965 and lastly her own father Daniel Marcus Hebert had been born on June 11th, 1969.

Taylor's grandmother had died in 2005 when Taylor was nine and others in the family tried to get Charlie to move but he refused. He was born and raised in Brockton Bay and he swore that it was where he would be buried. Her grandfather's property was outside the city proper. It had it's own large plot of land on which her grandfather had built their family home on with some help from his brothers and some of his neighbors. The house was two stories tall with five bedrooms and two bathrooms with a huge kitchen. Her grandfather had later added a barn and a large Morton building. The strangest thing on the property was the fallout shelter her grandfather had built on the property.

Taylor had spent more and more of her time with her grandpa after the death of her mother. Her father had all but fallen apart and wasn't there for Taylor when she needed him. Charlie had understood his son's pain so he took care of Taylor when she needed it.

Taylor frowned as she worked on her newest project.

The relationship with her father had deteriorated so much that Taylor hadn't told him when her sister in all but blood Emma Barnes had turned on her. Over the last nearly two years Emma had led a campaign of harassment and bullying against Taylor alongside Sophia Hess and various hanger-ons. Usually it was Madison Clements, a cutesy petite girl who hid a vicious but cowardly side from the world.

All their harassment had come to a head after the Christmas Holiday. The Bitch Trio, as Taylor liked to call them, had shoved her into her own locker and locked her inside. That wouldn't have been so bad if they hadn't filled it with used tampons and other feminine products and hadn't been allowed to ferment over the holidays.

Taylor had been trapped inside for hours with bugs and filth covering her. She had passed out before she woke up in her grandfathers house. Taylor had Triggered in the locker and her powers had unconsciously moved her to a safe place. Her grandfather had almost had a heart attack when he found her. He had helped Taylor clean up with some help from his neighbor Ethel Harrison.

When Ethel had left Charlie had sat her down and gotten her to explain what had happened. To say that Charlie Hebert was furious would be an understatement. He was all ready to press charges but Taylor calmed him down, even if she wanted her tormentors to get some comeuppance. How would she explain escaping from the locker?

Taylor discovered she now possessed three powers. She had no idea why they were so different though. Usually when someone Triggered their powers were at least related to one another. Taylor finally just shrugged it off. She hadn't been able to choose her powers, unfortunately, but she could make the most of them.

Taylor had **Superhuman Body** as her first power. It made everything about her Superhuman plus it gave her an eidetic memory, perfect recall and for some reason _Danger Sense_ like the old Marvel hero Spider-Man. Luckily it also came with in built safeties. Taylor never exerted more strength or speed than she chose to. So she wouldn't be accidentally pulling any doors off their hinges or crushing anyone's hands unless she wanted to.

Taylor's second power, and the most versatile one, was **Umbrakinesis** which allowed her to create, shape and manipulate darkness and shadows. Even then, Umbrakinesis had a whole sub-set of powers attached to it which Taylor was still exploring. Her last power was that of a **Tinker** which allowed her to create items that could fit in her hands.

Charlie had quickly told Taylor she could use the old fallout shelter for a workshop and that he would get anything she needed. He knew what happened to most Tinkers. They were either killed or forcibly recruited into a gang or the PRT. Charlie hated the gangs and didn't really trust of the PRT or the Protectorate. Veteran or not Charlie had a healthy distrust of the government and those in authority which was funny to Taylor considering what his job used to be.

Still, Charlie had asked if she wanted to join the Wards. If she had wanted to he would support her. Charlie and Taylor had a fairly lengthy conversation about the pros and cons of the Wards and working for the PRT/Protectorate. Charlie agreed that she could likely do more good if she didn't work for them and would certainly have more freedom. To help her prepare Charlie helped Taylor research the Parahumans around Brockton Bay and in the rest of the state. Charlie called in several favors from old friends and colleagues to gather information.

Charlie also made sure Taylor knew what the law was regarding what she could do as an Independent hero. There were different rules and laws regarding Rogues or Independent heroes. Charlie wanted her to be prepared. Most Independent heroes rushed out as soon as they could which often got them forcibly recruited or killed. Charles Hebert would be damned before he saw that happen to his granddaughter.

Taylor respected her grandfather and even if she was a little impatient to get out there and actually do something she did as she was told. She quickly saw the advantage to Charlie's ideas. There were rather strict laws on what she could and couldn't do.

* * *

One of the first things Taylor had designed was her communicator which was made to look quite similar to a smart phone. It was completely shatterproof, bulletproof, fireproof, waterproof and immune to EMP. It would connect to the drones Taylor had constructed specifically for the purpose of communication, which allowed instant communication between devices.

The drones were a little bit bigger than a softball and when running was out of phase with her reality, protecting them from being destroyed. One of the drones hovered at her shoulder letting out a soft hum. Through the drones her communicator was connected to a wireless tower near her house that allowed it to connect to other networks.

With her communicator Taylor would have an instant secure high-speed connection to the internet, unlimited data and unlimited talk time and she could connect to any other phone in the world. Thanks to her drones Taylor would have a full service no matter where she was in the world. Nothing short of destroying her drones could cut off her communication.

It of course had built in wireless communication similar to Bluetooth so she wouldn't have to actually hold her phone to hold conversations. It was connected to two ear buds she had created. They fit around her ears before going out of phase so they could not be destroyed or felt, even by her. The ear buds could connect to any device she created and protected her against anyone trying to Master her.

Taylor could control it mentally or turn it off and on by pressing her left earlobe to her neck firmly for two seconds. The communicator was able to change it's shape and color to suit her desires and could grow as large as seventeen inches turning it into a smart-pad. The phone was encrypted against hacking and even had it's hacking software she could use to break through security if she needed to. Taylor planned to build several of them, one of which she would gift to her grandfather.

With a snap the case closed allowing Taylor to place it on it's wireless charging pad.

" _Charging."_ A female voice intoned.

With a computer Taylor had built from parts she had created her own VI who she named Willow. The bar slowly went from red to green before it dinged. A catchy little tune played before a blank 3D female face appeared.

" _Connecting communicator to network drones."_ Willow informed her. " _30%, 65%, 94%, connection established. Downloading apps based upon user preference...Uploading digital music collection...Uploading contacts list...Activating security."_

Taylor had been a little leery of her power Umbrakinesis at first. Shadows and darkness did not really equate themselves to "light" and heroism but Taylor vowed to not let that hold her off. While Taylor was practicing with her powers Taylor learned that she could control creatures that preferred the dark to being in view of the light. That included spiders, bats and various other bugs. This made Taylor quite happy as she could use the spiders to weave body armor and clothes. Already she had some black widows weaving threads to make her costume. In the future she wanted to find some Darwin Bark spiders who created the strongest natural silk in the world.

* * *

Taylor stepped out allowing her grandfather to see her uniform. She wore her armored body suit with black pants. Over top of that Taylor wore a black coat that reached down to the middle of her calves. Her feet were covered in gunmetal gray knee- length boots with thick, slip-proof soles while her hands were covered with gunmetal gray gloves which were thinner around the fingers to allow finer manipulation without loosing protection. The fingers could even retract if she needed them to.

Around her waist was an utility belt that Taylor liked to call the Belt of Many Pouches. The hard leather pouches on the belt were bigger on the inside and could only be opened by her. Taylor had filled the pouches with a wide range of gadgets and goodies she would need along with survival and first aid supplies just in case. Strapped to her legs were two gun holsters. Each one holding a different gun. One which was silver and looked like a futuristic blaster pistol and the other was the color of gold and fatter.

The most sophisticated part of her uniform was definitely her helmet and mask. The helmet was, of course, black in color and covered her entire head and had a comfortable compartment to stuff her hair into. Taylor wasn't about to let practicality and safety to be compromised for PR like _some people_. While it would be good for people to like her and look to Taylor for protection Taylor would prove herself through her actions, not through her looks.

The front of the mask, which looked vaguely skull-like was made of metal and could be detached if needed. The eye lenses were round like on a pair of goggles and gave her access to several different modes of vision. Infrared, Nightvision, Telescopic, UV mode and even Darkvision which allowed her to see in perfect darkness. The most fantastic mode of vision was X-Ray vision like Superman had that allowed her to see through solid objects. This would allow Taylor to see through walls or doors instead of having to put herself in danger by going through them first. The computer inside the helmet would help Taylor predict what an opponent would do, their identities and their physical characteristics.

Also built into the helmet was a rebreather that protected against contaminates, toxins, poisons and was connected to a three hour supply of fresh air. The rebreather could also, if needed, convert CO2 into O2. Alongside it were a digital camera, camcorder and a voice changer. The helmet would save any recordings to her personal computer for later review and possible use as evidence.

The cut of the uniform and some padding gave Taylor a different body profile along with adding to her height. Out of it Taylor was 5'11" with a B-Cup bust. In the uniform changed her height to 6'2" while broadening her shoulders subtly. Of course her entire uniform was made to be lightweight, fireproof, waterproof, knife-proof and would protect Taylor against even extreme cold and heat. It would even offer some protection against energy like lightning or different energy attacks.

It was also bulletproof up to an automatic rifle. If someone used a .50 caliper rifle on her Taylor would definitely feel it. Some might question the need for body armor at all with her power of **Superhuman Body** but Taylor believed in being prepared just in case. It was better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Her body might be very durable but that was no excuse not to wear protection.

" _What do you think?_ " Taylor asked in a deeper, raspier voice as she posed for he grandfather.

Charlie's brows rose in surprise.

"I didn't know who you were I wouldn't be able to link you with Taylor Hebert." He told her. "How much armor does your uniform provide?"

Taylor went all over the specifics of the armor until he was satisfied.

"Have you chosen a name yet?" Charlie asked.

"Umbra." Taylor told him.

"Umbra, Umbra." Charlie muttered. "I like it kiddo."

* * *

Taylor was glad that her grandfather had forced her to take self-defense lessons growing up. While Taylor was by no means a Master of the Martial Arts she was more than a match for the common thug or criminal in the gangs. This helped when Taylor tried out one of the sub-powers that came with Umbrakinesis, Shadow Clones. Shadow Clones were just that, clones created from Taylor's shadow. Taylor could create fifteen clones before she couldn't use her any other power under Umbrakinesis anymore. The great thing about her Shadow Clones was that they were just as durable as her so Taylor had plenty of sparring partners to fight and improve against. The greatest thing about them was everything her Shadow Clones learned Taylor also learned and vise-versa. This included muscle memory so she could use them to train.

Taylor's Shadow Clones could operate completely separate from her and could even use her powers. A real force multiplier for her arsenal. They were also completely loyal to her so Taylor didn't have to worry about any of them trying to stab her in the back and trying to take over her life.

* * *

A/N: Yeah I gave her Shadow Clones based on Naruto...want to fight about it? Also thanks Edocsiru for catching my misspelling of Umbrakinesis. I need to get more sleep.


	4. Refel 1

Disclaimer- I don't own Worm. Nor am I making any profit from this story.

* * *

 _February 15th, 2011_

Taylor Hebert stared at nothing as she sat on a park bench in the pouring rain. Ordinarily you'd expect her to be soaked to a bone but the rain just seemed to slide off of her, a few millimeters from her body. It had been a month since Taylor had been pulled out of her locker at Winslow. Taylor's hands curled into fists as anger burned in her gut. The bitches had gotten away with it but Taylor had not returned to Winslow. She refused to go back.

Instead Taylor used money she had received in the settlement from her mother's death and hired a lawyer. Taylor refused to return to a school that turned a blind eye on what those bitches did to her. Taylor was suing the school and the school district. She had plans to finish her education at home and on her own time.

Taylor knew she wasn't stupid but with all the harassment from her bullies her grades didn't reflect that. Hell she was fluent in four languages other than English by the time she was twelve and had learned three since. Her father had tried to argue with her about throwing her money away. Taylor had snapped at him that at least she was going to accomplish something. Danny's stricken face had forced Taylor out of the house and into the rain.

Taylor's thoughts turned back to earlier that month...

* * *

 _February 7th, 2011_

Taylor had taken time off from her studies to go shopping downtown. Her dad had offered to take her but she had wanted to be alone. Taylor decided to do some shopping in her favorite art shop. Taylor was just putting some notepads and some specialty pencils she had purchased into her bag when there was a loud commotion outside.

Taylor hurriedly ducked down before she closed her bag and clenched it tight against her, old instincts taking over. Taylor shuffled over a nearby window to look out and see what was going on. Taylor's mouth tightened in a frown. Lung and Hookwolf were fighting one another. Already Taylor could hear screams echoing around the area. Steeling her courage Taylor snuck outside. She knew that being in a building did not offer the surety of protection.

Around the area several people were burnt, some beyond recognition. Others were missing body parts or had been turned into pretty much meaty chunks. Taylor gagged before she puked on the ground. It was worse than anything she had ever seen. Many people were screaming in fear or pain.

Taylor saw a little girl fall to the ground with a scream as she tripped. Determination filled Taylor and she dove for the child. Grabbing her she rolled them away from Lung's flames. Taylor nearly screamed as she twisted her ankle. Taylor turned to look around her just as Lung roared before loosing fire at Hookwolf who had stopped in front of them. Hookwolf laughed before rolling away leaving the fire to come straight at Taylor and the girl.

Taylor threw her arms out with a scream, trying to block as much of the child as she could. Taylor's mind blanked except for the desire to survive, not to be hurt and for Lung to stop attacking. Taylor thought about her father at home and how much it would pain him to lose her too. Taylor blacked out briefly before the heat hit her first before the flames enveloped her and to seem to flow around her. Taylor gaped at the blue field surrounding her and the child. She could sense that the field was connected to her. She had powers! Out of the corner of her eye Taylor could see Lung and Hookwolf picking themselves off the ground and start looking around.

Taylor desperately wanted the two villains to stop fighting so they could get away. Something clicked in her head and Taylor felt part of her power intensify while a mental timer started counting. Taylor's attention was brought back to the fight as Lung roared and twisted as he started shrinking against his will before he turned back into a human. Lung looked around and stopped at her. Taylor could practically see the pieces falling into place in his mind.

"Run!" Taylor urged the little girl. Luckily her ankle seemed to have healed as well. Taylor picked the little girl up and tossed her to an adult who was waving her arms. By the face she was obviously the girl's mother.

"Bitch!" Lung bellowed, running towards her as Taylor froze in place.

Lung was quickly on her and started pummeling her. At least he tried, all of his attacks were nullified by the field around her. Taylor didn't feel a single thing, nor was she moved even a centimeter. Lung let out an angry roar in her face and Taylor panicked. Taylor screamed and without thinking lashed out. She slammed her fist into Lung's face sending him flying down the street to land on the ground out cold. Taylor's heart pounded in her ears before her hearing started coming back to her.

"She took out Lung!"

"Quick get a picture!"

 _Oh god, they're looking at me._ Taylor thought, pulling her hoody tighter against her baklava before she took off running. Faster and faster she ran before she kicked off a stone bench sending her soaring into the air.

 _Can't let them see me. Can't let them see me._ Taylor thought in panic. At her thoughts Taylor watched her body become washed out and she sensed that she had turned invisible to everyone and everything but her own eyes. Higher and higher she rose before she stopped, floating far above the city.

"I'm flying." Taylor realized before she started falling. Taylor screamed, curling into a ball. Luckily she bounced when she hit the ground. It basically felt like falling on a mattress. Taylor slammed into a wall before bouncing off and sliding to a stop. Taylor gingerly sat up. Surprisingly nothing hurt but Taylor thought she might be in shock.

Taylor shook her head to clear it.

"What the hell?" Taylor muttered as she looked herself over. She was completely unhurt. There wasn't even a scratch or dirt on her clothing!

* * *

Her father had of course freaked out when Taylor got home and told him what happened. Taylor just might have left out her the part about her becoming a Parahuman. Her father would have freaked out more and likely have tried to force her into the Wards program. Taylor had no desire to put up with more teenagers, especially those with powers. She really didn't need the drama in her life.

Taylor was an avid "Cape Geek" and knew everything that was publicly available about Trigger Events. Most often they were the worst day of a Parahumans life. Even though hers wasn't _that_ bad Taylor could relate. Taylor was honestly surprised she hadn't Triggered when the bitches locked her inside her locker.

 _Hell certainly described that day._ Taylor snarled mentally.

In some ways Taylor was lucky as she knew what her powers were but in others she was potentially in some deep shit and she knew it. Taylor's main power and potentially most problematic power was a **Repelling Null Field**. It was one power but had two different fields in one with a bunch of smaller powers attached to them. The Null Field possessed two main powers and a sub power. The first one was a passive ability that was always active. It stopped powers from working on her. This included Masters and even Thinkers in a certain radius.

The second effect of the Null field had her to nullify the powers of other Parahumans within a fifty foot range around her for twenty minutes. As in it kept other Parahumans around her from using their powers. Only those Taylor wanted to could use their powers during that time. Sure it only lasted twenty minutes, before needing to be recharged, but twenty minutes was a good chunk of time to be suddenly stripped of your power. On one hand the power repelling part was really cool. It would protect her from just about anything that she knew of. Unfortunately the power nullifying effect would be what caused her trouble.

Parahumans would not like not being able to use their powers. They wouldn't like losing what made them special, even if only temporarily. It was understandable. Hell, Taylor would freak out if it happened to her. Many would want to recruit her or kill her for that power alone. Both the PRT and the gangs. They wouldn't want her walking around as an Independent. They would want to control her.

Taylor didn't want to die nor did she want to be inducted into a gang. Unfortunately she really didn't want to join the PRT either. With all the shit she had gone through her trust in authority was at an all time low. Plus they were part of the government and she didn't really trust the government all that much. Taylor had been raised with a healthy distrust of the government by her parents. It had more been her mom but her dad had some trust issues as well.

The last thing the Null Field did was send any bullets or weapons that touched it into a pocket dimension only Taylor could access while nullifying any physical attacks. The Repelling Field extended to anything Taylor was touching, wearing or holding and could repel just about anything. It could repel physical attacks, energy, radiation, extreme temperatures, liquids, air, light and even gravity. It even allowed Taylor to absorb kinetic energy. With her field Taylor could fly, turn invisible, intangible, breath underwater, run at speeds reaching Mach 2 and leap tall buildings in a single bound! _Well_ , four story buildings at least. Taylor could even project more than one field around herself or others.

One of the weirdest effects of the field was a passive Healing ability. It constantly healed Taylor and could heal those she chose. While fiddling with it Taylor had discovered that she could increase the power of the healing but it left her drained and give her a headache if she did it for too long. So far Taylor had only used the ability to heal some wounded animals but had also discovered that it could work on plants as well. A poor neglected Aloe Vera plant in their kitchen had gone from brown and wilting to vibrant and green.

Taylor's actual second and somewhat troubling power was **Self-Duplication**. It allowed Taylor to create a number of clones of herself that were completely loyal to her and capable of using her powers. Taylor could either control them directly, give them orders or allow them to act on their own. Taylor could also see through their eyes if she wanted _and_ control their bodies. Taylor figured she could use this for scouting dangerous areas. If the clone was killed it wouldn't really matter and it would keep her safe.

While training with her clones Taylor had discovered that she could make them appear wherever she desired as long as she could see where it was. Testing with binoculars showed Taylor that she could send even further away if she was using them. Taylor had also accidentally found that she could also switch places with her clones. Doing it too much or too fast made her dizzy as she discovered after being silly and constantly changing places with them. Taylor hadn't made that mistake again. From what Taylor had researched she knew the PRT was at the very least wary of Self-Replicators. Probably because it made it harder to track down the original if they had to. Taylor mainly saw it as a way to be able to do more good and to help more people.

Taylor's third power was a ranged power which Taylor was glad she had since it gave her the option to fight from a distance. The power was **Energy Projection** and could be fired off as beams, bolts or waves of energy. Her power had five different effects Taylor could choose between. The first was called _Disorientation_. It caused dizziness, nausea, migraines and disrupted the equilibrium of the target. The second effect was called _Energy Drain_. It allowed Taylor to sap the energy of others, both mental and physical. The draining caused lethargy, dizziness and unconsciousness in the target but would shut off before they were in danger of dying.

The third setting was called _Petrifrication_. It caused the targets to freeze until Taylor released them. While in that state they were invulnerable to harm and could only be moved with Taylor's permission. The downside was that _Petrifrication_ drained Taylor mentally the longer she held it. The next setting, _Kinetic Discharge_ , allowed her project beams, bolts or waves of kinetic force. The last was called _Stunning Force_ and allowed Taylor to knock whoever she hit with it unconscious.

* * *

Taylor grinned as she glided along the ground. Her repelling field allowing her to move across the ground like greased lightning. Taylor had tuned the field to allow the cool breeze through but had it block any possible contaminates or harmful substances. Taylor currently had two fields wrapped around her, one of them nearly touching her skin. It allowed her to the twist the light coming from it, _somehow_ , to disguise herself. Pure power bullshit basically. At the moment she looked like a honey blond haired woman wearing a dark grey body suit with an armored red vest with a silver starburst in the middle with a black coat over it. Taylor's face was covered by a half mask that covered her nose, cheeks and forehead adding another layer to her disguise. If she hid her face in this form they would hopefully believe it was her actual form.

Taylor had waited three agonizing weeks to go out and patrol. She had spent that time gathering some items she wanted to have on hand, refining her control over the various aspects of her power and conducting research. Taylor carefully researched everything she could about the other Parahumans in Brockton Bay along with the gangs, the Wards and the PRT. She had also researched the relevant laws for an Independent Hero. Taylor had no desire to be arrested or press ganged into the Wards or the PRT. Taylor had read about such happening before online. While she didn't know if they were actually true Taylor wasn't taking any chances. She quite liked her freedom, thank you very much. She had also spent the time thinking over her cape name. Taylor had finally settled on Refel. She figured if she didn't like it she could always change it later.

Refel's brow rose as she saw several men breaking into an electronics store. With a quick thought Refel faded into invisibility as she continued forward, gliding about six inches above the ground so to not make any noise or disturb anything on the ground. One of the thugs was walking towards a parked car across the street with a metal baseball bat. Refel watched him aim his bat at the car's windshield. Refel thrust out her hand, forming a repelling field around the car. The thug cried out in surprise as his bat bounced off the field and back into his face. There was a nasty crunch as his nose broke and he stumbled backwards, falling to the ground on his ass. Refel canceled her invisibility, revealing herself floating in the air, hands on either sound of her waist.

"I don't think any of that is yours." Refel said, even her voice disguised, while wagging a finger at them.

"Cape!" Another guy yelled.

Refel's eyes narrowed as she focused on him. He was already turning to run away. A yellow beam erupted from her hand causing the guy to stumble around before he fell to the ground and threw up. Another froze mid-motion as a bolt of energy flashed from her left hand and hit him in the chest. The guy who threw up started standing up so Refel fired a Petrifying bolt out her finger to hit him, freezing him in place as well. She quickly did the same with the guy who's nose she busted. Refel frisked all the robbers, pulling out their valuables. As an Independent Hero she could take spoils from criminals she stopped if she desired. Refel didn't think it was very heroic but she wasn't going to turn her nose up at any money. If she wanted later she could donate it to charity.

Refel quickly counted her gains, $600 in cash, a pair of brass knuckles and a telescoping baton.

"Nice." She grinned. Slipping it into her pockets Refel pulled out her burner phone to call the police.

All in all, not a bad patrol.


End file.
